BATTLE OF THE HEAVYWEIGHTS

Photos: BackpagePix | Cape Argus By MIKE GREENAWAY

A rivalry that has captured the imagination of rugby lovers the world over

IN a strange quirk of fate, the 100th Test match between the Springboks and the All Blacks happens to be in the 100th year of a rivalry between the rugby heavyweights that began in Dunedin in 1921, and perhaps stranger still, the momentous milestone will take place on neutral ground in the northern Queensland city of Townsville, a rugby league stronghold.

All Blacks legend Richie McCaw and Bok great Bryan Habana share a moment after the Rugby Championship match between South Africa’s Springboks and the New Zealand All Blacks at FNB Stadium in 2012.

But rugby lovers the world over would suggest all of this is in sync with an at times bizarre rivalry that has weathered all manner of storms — notably controversies over the racial composition of Springbok teams prior to 1992 and the demands on touring New Zealand teams to fit in with South Africa’s racist selection policies.

This tension reached a crescendo when the 1981 Bok tour of New Zealand split the country, and even families, and matches somehow persisted despite fierce anti-tour demonstrations that famously culminated in a light aeroplane flour-bombing Auckland’s Eden Park during the third Test decider.

Auckland, New Zealand, 12.09.1981: The demo-plagued Test series between the Springboks and the All Blacks in New Zealand. Barbed wire separates the spectators from the players as police remove demonstrators who disrupted the game.

In 1986, the official All Blacks tour of South Africa was stopped by a New Zealand court injunction but the squad toured anyway — minus two conscientious objectors in John Kirwan and David Kirk — as the New Zealand Cavaliers. The Springboks won the series but the results were not officially recorded — if they had been, the 100th Test would have been played some time ago.

President Nelson Mandela hands over the World Cup trophy to Springbok captain Francois Pienaar at Ellis Park in 1995.

When the Boks emerged from isolation in 1992, it was fitting that it was New Zealand in tow with their famous haka that provided the first opponents, with Sean Fitzpatrick’s team prevailing narrowly at Ellis Park.

The All Blacks were not so lucky at the same venue three years later in arguably the most dramatic match between the countries when a Joel Stransky drop goal in extra-time won the Boks their first World Cup, with President Nelson Mandela handing over the trophy to Francois Pienaar in one of the most emotional moments in South African sporting history.

They, however, returned a year later in 1996 to record their first-ever series win on South African soil to kickstart the All Blacks’ dominance in the professional era.

Prior to the 1992 Test, the Springboks had beaten the All Blacks on 20 occasions over 70 years while the Kiwis had prevailed 15 times, with two draws. The tables have been turned since, and as we reach the centenary milestone, the record is: New Zealand 59 victories, South Africa 36, and four draws.

Above: The All Blacks perform the haka during the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi hunts down All Blacks centre Ryan Crotty in Wellington in 2018.